Count the Stars!
by HitmanTargetsYou
Summary: Arisato Nakamura moves to Namimori from busy Tokyo, except the small town doesn't really please him. But then soon he meets baseball-fanatic Takeshi Yamamoto, who is desperate to befriend him. What craziness does Baseballboy put him through? Read to find out! (YAMAMOTO X MALE OC) (HIGH SCHOOL AU)
1. Redhead, meet Baseball-boy!

"Dad, I'm gonna go get some snacks!"

Yamamoto grabbed his blue jacket, slipping it on and walking out of his room. He peeked into the kitchen, watching his father cut up some raw salmon for a minute before speaking. "Dad, did you hear me?"

He didn't look up or turn around, just lifting up his hand and waving. "Yeah, yeah! But don't take too long, it's getting dark out!"

"Okaay~" He smiled and walked out of his house and down the sidewalk. Looking up at the sky, he could see the orange-red tint mixing in with the nighttime blue. He admired the sky, it always made him think about some very close friends of his. It didn't take long for him to reach the convenience store, and he immediately made his way to the magazines. _If I'm getting snacks, I might as well get something new to read..._

Looking through some baseball magazines, he barely noticed the new presence next to him. Looking up, he quickly glanced at the person next to him. His eyes widened slightly, and he observed the other. It was a boy, who looked at least fifteen like him. He had a pale complexion, and a feminine face. Yamamoto pondered on the thought, wondering if he was actually a _she, _but didn't want to ask. Besides, he was wearing pretty boyish clothes. His black skinny jeans were baggy, and so was his red-plaid shirt.

The boy then shifted his pose, holding the magazine he was reading in one and brushing a strand of his burning-red hair behind his ears. Yamamoto then noticed how the boy's thick red glasses made his emerald eyes stand out. _What a... really pretty guy._

Yamamoto then suppressed a blush, quickly looking back at his magazine. But it was too late. Thoughts and questions began flooding his usually-empty mind, and when curiosity got the better of him, he finally looked at him again. "Uh... are you new here?"

The boy looked at him, adjusting his glasses. "Eh? Y-Yeah... how could you tell?"

Yamamoto smiled. "It was a guess... I've never seen you before." The boy played a small smirk. "I could've just been a student to another school, but yeah, you're right. I just moved here from Tokyo a few days ago."

"Tokyo? That's cool... What school are you attending?"

"Namimori High... What school are _you_ in?" The boy asked, lowering his magazine. Yamamoto's grin widened, and excitement seeped into his system. "Me too! I'm in Namimori High, I mean...! What grade are you in?"

"I'm a freshman..."

"Me too...!" At this point, Yamamoto's eyes began to sparkle endlessly. "Ah, this is so cool! I hope you're transferred into my class! Oh yeah, how rude of me..." He held out his hand. "Takeshi Yamamoto, age fifteen!" Arisato looked at it with a surprised expression, and took it gingerly. "A-Arisato Nakamura... fifteen as well."

"Arisato... that's a cool name. It looks like it fits you." He commented, and Arisato let out a soft chuckle. "Really? I don't know how to respond to that..." He then looked at the magazine Yamamoto was looking at, and simpered softly. "You into baseball?"

Yamamoto nodded. "I'm on our school's baseball team. I _really _love baseball...! It's awesome! What about you?" Arisato cocked his head curiously, then slowly replied, "Well... I'm not much of a sports fanatic, but if you really want me to say, I guess I like baseball too... my older brother used to play it in high school until he started playing basketball, another sport I don't mind. I've also played Dodge-ball in middle school a few times, and I thought it was fairly okay..."

"Really? I've played Dodge-ball a few times before too... it's good, I guess..." He agreed, and put the magazine away. Looking out the window, the sun was already gone. Yamamoto then gasped lightly, and he looked around for the snacks. "I almost forgot that I was supposed to come here for snacks."

"Oh, so did I..."

They both ventured away from the magazines to the food aisle. After gathering what they wanted, they walked together to the cash register. Yamamoto stepped aside to let Arisato buy his things first, asking, "So when do you start school?"

Arisato placed his things on the counter, letting the register calculate everything. "Mm... I think tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow." Yamamoto nodded, and set his things on the counter after Arisato. When he finished paying, they both walked out of the convenience store. Yamamoto looked at the sky, noticing the few stars that began to shine brightly. Arisato noticed too, the two of them staring for a good while. "How... pretty. Back at Tokyo, I don't get to see the night time sky so clearly like this."

Yamamoto looked at him, smiling. "Really? Well, you're in luck here... I love looking at the sky, especially at night... There's over millions of stars."

"It must take forever to count all of them... not that I ever will." Arisato commented with a small sigh. "Well, I guess I'll see you some other time when we run into each other again."

"Hm? I don't think so..."

"What?"

Yamamoto blushed, waving his hands. "Not about the 'seeing you some other time' thing! I really look forward to seeing you again, honestly...! I really like you!" Arisato gave him a weird look, his cheeks getting rosy. Yamamoto hit himself in the head, feeling agitated with himself. "I mean, I want to be your friend! That's why! And what I meant earlier is that counting all the stars in the world... it could be possible."

Arisato smiled slowly, and began to walk away. "You're a strange one, Baseball-boy."

Yamamoto nodded, waving goodbye. "Eh heh heh... I'll take that as a compliment." He then turned around, sighing lightly. "Well... Dad's waiting for me to come back. That took longer than expected."

_Arisato Nakamura... I wonder if we can be friends? We've got a lot of things in common..._

-ARISATO-

Arisato thought back about his talk with the strange boy from the store. He was weird, and talked a lot. His happy aura was also kind of irritating, but it didn't bother him _too _much. _I wonder if we will ever actually run into each other at school... It's hard imagining him as a friend, he's so different from me.  
><em>

As he walked, he could barely remembered his way back to his brother's home. Namimori didn't seem odd, or like a bad city, but Arisato still felt homesick. Tokyo was his only home... at least he had good views here. As he began to see his new home, he opened the gate, and locked it behind himself before walking inside. He stepped into the simple home and up the stairs to his bedroom. Inside unpacking some boxes was his older brother.

"Oh, hey Ten-Years-Later-Me..." He commented, setting down the bags of snacks onto his bed. Taking out a soda bottle, he opened it and sat back on the bed. His older brother sighed. "Oh come on Ari-chan! No one even mentions that anymore... Call me oniichan like you used to!"

"Nooo." Arisato laughed, taking out the second bottle and tossing it to his older brother. "Come on, it's funny Taka-nii."

His brother pouted. "For one thing, I'm not twenty-five, I'm twenty three. And another thing, it's _not _funny. Being referred to as your little brothers future self makes one feel old."

Arisato only smiled. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So I ran into some weird kid at the convenience store. He's a baseball fanatic... I think his name was Tadashi Yamato? Takashi Yomoto? I can't remember..."

"Hm? How was he weird?" Takahashi asked, snapping the bottle cap. Flicking it into the trashcan, he looked at him. Arisato shrugged, leaning back into his bed. "I don't know... I just felt like he was..." Takahashi sent him an amused look, and he sat down. "Well anyways, you looking forward to school tomorrow? Namimori is an awesome high school, I'm sure you'll love it. Plus, since I'm a teacher there, you can ask me for plenty of advice or for help."

With a small nonchalant sigh, Arisato looked out his bedroom window. "Yeah... I guess."

**=THE NEXT DAY=**

"Welcome to Namimori High, Nakamura-kun. This is a great school, and your brother was one of our best students. We are glad to have you here."

Arisato stared at the headmaster, forcing a smile. "I'm glad I'm here too..."

"If you need help, don't be afraid to ask questions. Well, off to class you go then." He finished his tiny speech, and looked at the third person in the room. It was a middle-aged man, his slicked back black hair faded and streaked with grey. He repeatedly tapped a clipboard on his shoulder.

"Satoru-sensei, please introduce your new student to the class. Treat him well." The headmaster said, and the man nodded. "Yes sir."

He then walked to the door, opening it. "Let's go Redhead, I've got students waiting back in class."

Arisato frowned, following behind the teacher. "Please address me properly, Teacher..." Satoru-sensei laughed heartily, and without turning around, he answered, "I'm sorry, kid. Nakamura-kun then. Is that better?"

"Yes..."

"You know, I've had your brother Takahashi for four years straight, and I can already tell you both apart. You're not a trouble-maker like he was."

"Ah, really...? I was told he looks like me ten-years-later."

"He does, yes." Satoru-sensei laughed again, and stopped in front of a sliding door. "Here's your class. Well, here goes nothing..." He opened the classroom doors, clapping his hands. "Okay kids, I know I was late, but everyone take a seat!"

Arisato peeked inside, and watched all the freshmen like him scurry to a seat. Before he did a full scan of the room, Satoru-sensei motioned for him to come inside the room. "Come on kid, introduce yourself!"

Arisato nodded, and hurried inside. He stood next to the teacher, scanning the rest of the class. When he caught sight of a familiar black-haired boy, his eyes widened. _It's __Baseball-boy! _He almost stuttered, but caught himself on time. "Um, I'm Arisato Nakamura... I'm new here, since I was originally from Tokyo... Nice to meet you all."

He bowed, and Satoru-sensei pointed to a certain desk... right behind Baseball-boy. Baseball-boy smiled brightly, and his eyes followed him to the rest of the way. When Arisato sat down, he started gushing. "Oh man, you're in the same class as me! That's awesome!"

"Y-Yeah... heh heh..."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask! Why did you- Ouch!" The book that was thrown to the back of Yamamoto's head bounced off, and he turned around with a small pout. "Ah, Teacher! Why'd you do that?"

"Because you're being a distraction to the new kid. Next time it won't be a book I throw at you! If you wanna talk, wait til lunch time." Satoru-sensei finished scolding the latter, and Yamamoto sighed, turning back around. "Yes, Satoru-sensei!"

Arisato looked at Yamamoto, studying him curiously. _This guy... I can't help but get the feeling he's going to cause me a lot of trouble in the future. I **really **hope not!  
><em>

**=LUNCH TIME, YAMAMOTO POV=**

"So then, as I wanted to ask you Nakamura-kun, why'd you move to Namimori?" Yamamoto took out a plain blue bento his dad made for him, opening it up and looking at the options of sushi. He turned his chair around and smiled at the redhead, whom backed up his desk. Although, Yamamoto didn't ponder on why he did that.

"Well, my dad travels around a lot on business, so eventually my older brother just offered to take me in." He explained, opening a polished black bento. Yamamoto nodded, and commented, "That sounds really troublesome... How do you feel about all this?"

"It's not like it bothers me too much... I still want to live in Tokyo back with everyone else I knew, but Namimori isn't bad so far..." He explained slowly, picking through his curry with his spoon. "Are you native here? Wait, never mind... that was a stupid question."

Yamamoto shook his head. "It's okay Nakamura-kun. There is no such thing as a stupid question, as they say! Anyways, yeah, I was born here and raised here. Namimori's my home!" He then sent him a soft smile. "And I really hope you can see this as your own home soon. It'd be a shame if you couldn't be happy here."

Arisato's cheeks reddened, and he frowned. "Y-Yeah... W-Whatever." He then quickly stuck a spoonful of curry and rice into his mouth. Looking towards the window as he began to chew slowly, Yamamoto laughed, and looked at where his eyesight was directed as well.

"Nakamura-kun... you're a weird guy, y'know."


	2. Redhead, meet Soran Amelio!

_**Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee- **SLAP!_

"Ah, shut up already... I hear you just fine." Arisato murmured, opening one eye slightly. The bright morning sun shone through the thin curtains, and he moaned. Laying in bed for a few more seconds, he finally forced himself up and sat at the edge of his bed. He stared around his room in a blurry daze before yawning and reaching for his glasses propped against his window. "I have to get ready for school..."

He stood up, walking to a drawer and pulled out a white towel. He then exited his bedroom and towards the bathroom, taking off his glasses and setting it to the side. As he showered, he thought about his conversation with Yamamoto during yesterdays lunch break.

_'... I really hope you can see this place as your own home soon. It'd be a shame if you couldn't be happy here.'_

Arisato wiped some water from his face, running his wet hair back and massaging his scalp. Thinking about that one line, he couldn't help but smile. "One can only dream, Baseball-boy. Really, one can only dream..."

After he finished showering, he exited the steamy bathroom and back into his bedroom, locking the door behind himself. He then dried off and took out his school uniform from the closet. He slipped on the white dress shirt, buttoning it up slowly. Then he donned the rest of his gakuran and put his glasses back on. As he got ready, he heard his brother call for him from below.

"_AAAARIII-CHAN!_ BREAKFAST IS READY!"

Arisato sighed, and gathered all his school supplies. _To another day here in this foreign land... _He walked out of his bedroom, and downstairs to the kitchen where his brother had just taken off a frilly pink apron. He sat down at the table, grinning like the chipper man he was. "Good morning Ari-chan!"

"Good morning Taka-nii. Your cooking looks evil."

"Shut up and eat the food! It's not that bad!" Takahashi frowned and cut his omelet into pieces. "Honestly, children these days!"

Arisato laughed and sat down. "Sorry, sorry, just joking Taka-nii. Thank you for the meal!" He ate slowly as he listened to Takahashi's rambles about various subjects, and laughed here and there at the funny stories. As Takahashi continued running his mouth, Arisato looked at the time and stood up, putting his dishes in the sink. After washing them, he grabbed his bags and started leaving out the door.

"I gotta get to school now, see ya later Taka-nii!"

"Bye! I'll try to visit your class!"

"Please don't." He closed the door behind himself, leaving out the gate of his home and walking down the sidewalk towards his school. As he walked, he heard the sounds of pattering feet, and he stopped. Before he could turn around, he already recognized the voice that was calling out to him.

"Nakamura-kun! Hey, Nakamura-kun!"

He turned around, and saw him... Baseball-boy. He became familiarized with the boy's spiky black hair and friendly warm brown eyes, plus the fact that he was a giant. He _had_ to be somewhere around six feet. He ran towards him and then halted as soon as he was next to him. "Good morning, Nakamura-kun! I was walking with my friends until I saw you, and I wanted to walk with you today."

Arisato forced a smile, nodding slowly. "Is that so...? Well, good morning to you as well... Yamamoto-kun, was it?" He nodded enthusiastically. "That's right!"

Sighing with relief that he got it right, Arisato began walking. "Well, why did you want to walk with such a boring guy like me today? Don't you like your friends?"

Yamamoto once again nodded enthusiastically, and he smiled wide. "They're my best friends, yeah. I met them in middle school. But since I'm always with them, I wanted to just hang out with you today. You're cool too, y'know." Arisato felt his cheeks warm up, but not enough to make him blush. He only looked down at the sidewalk. "Th-Thank you?" _No one's ever called me cool before... Why would he say that so nonchalantly?  
><em>

As they walked, Arisato looked at him, noticing his arms. His hands were bandaged up, and his fingers were covered in scratches. But so were his arms. They were bruised, patches here and there. Arisato raised an eyebrow, asking, "Are you a thug?"

Yamamoto looked at him in surprise, and then realized where he was looking and laughed. "These? No. I'm not a thug, or a gangster. I got these memories from baseball practice!" Arisato couldn't help but chuckle along with him. "_Memories? _Really?"

"Of course!"

"That's really... stupid."

"Waah! So mean!"

**=LATER=**

"Class, I know that just yesterday we had a new student, but today we have another one. He's an exchange student from Italy, so treat him nicely." Satoru-sensei announced, motioning at the door. Arisato raised an eyebrow, wondering who the exchange student was. Just then, an fairly tall figure stepped into the room. He smiled brightly, and bowed.

"Buongiorno, Japanese students! I'm Soran Amelio." He greeted loudly, his bright sapphire irises twinkling with excitement. His curly mess of blackness swayed around and he was directed to a seat next to one of Yamamoto's friends, the one with super spiky brown hair. _I think his name is Tsunayoshi... Sawada? _

He shrugged, looking back to the front of the class.

"Okay class, I've got a research project for you guys to start. It's a huge part of your grade, so no slacking! And your partners have already been picked, by the way." Satoru-sensei explained, and Yamamoto turned around in his chair. "I hope you and I are partners!"

But right after he said that, Satoru-sensei already spoke. "Nakamura-kun, you're working with the Italian kid. Your topic is Shakespeare."

Arisato looked at Yamamoto, who's face fell. He then smiled, making a darn it gesture. "Well, you don't get everything you want in life!" He commented, and Arisato sighed. "Right... Well, I hope this Italian exchange student is dependable..."

**=LATER, LATER=**

The lunchtime bell rang, and after the teacher left the room, Arisato made his way to the exchange student, whom was already surrounded by a crowd of girls. He stood before his desk, smiling. "Hey Amelio-"

"Ah, no need to be formal!" He stood up, holding out his hand. "You're Nakamura-kun, right? Well, just call me Soran, and I'll call you Arisato, is that okay?"

Arisato nodded, and then spoke again. "Well... I just wanted to know if you wanted to go start studying for the research project at the library. I have nothing to do, since someone who usually talks to me isn't here today. He's off at his baseball practice." Soran nodded, and then finally managed to get away from his fangirls. They both made their way to the library, finding a nice place by a big open window. After gathering the books they needed, they both sat down at the table.

"Ah, Arisato! I heard that you were new to Namimori as well." Soran commented, and Arisato nodded. "Yeah... I'm new here. I moved to Namimori probably about a week ago." Soran nodded, and smiled. "I just moved here yesterday... It's so weird, but I like it here! Although I miss Italy..."

"Same here. I miss Tokyo."

"What did you like about Tokyo?" Soran asked, opening one of the books and flipping through it. Arisato cocked his head a little, thinking. "Hm... Everything, really. Although it's so busy there, and I wasn't really close with anyone, I still liked being there. What about you?"

Soran leaned back in his chair, smiling. "I _love _Italy! It's my homeland! The land, the language, the people! What's there to hate?"

Arisato smiled, laughing. "That's some love right there...!"

-YAMAMOTO-

Yamamoto was pretty bummed out. He wanted to work with Arisato, but unfortunately, he was paired with someone else. And today he couldn't eat lunch with him either because his club had extra training today for an upcoming game. He sighed, dragging the equipment behind him. _Why am I getting so down about this...? How stupid of me.  
><em>

As he walked, he could hear the sound of laughing. And it... it oddly sounded like Arisato. He sped up and reached near the library windows, catching sight of the back of Arisato's head and the Italian exchange student. They were both laughing pretty heartily about something.

_Arisato... he sounds like he's having fun. So then... what is this tightness in my chest? It hurts... why? _

He blushed, getting agitated again. "Ah, I shouldn't be getting so irritated over this..." He gathered the equipment up and continued on his way to where the rest of his team was. As he walked, he slowed down as he passed by the window. He heard bits and pieces of their conversation, and then sped off as one of his team members yelled for him to hurry up.

**_Why am I so irritated...?_**


	3. You WILL care!

"Yamamoto, did you win yesterdays big game?"

"Yeah, yeah! It was awesome!"

"That does sound awesome..."

"Thanks, Tsuna!"

"It's not_ that_ cool."

"Aw, don't be mean Gokudera-kun!"

Yamamoto walked alongside his friends, smiling and laughing. He spent the whole week training for the baseball club's first game, and it really payed off with their big win. Although, there was a small downside to it. Yamamoto spent all his free time training, so he didn't get a lot of time to hang out with Arisato, and get to know him better. Sure they had conversations during P.E, but they were short because he was usually hanging out with the exchange student. Yamamoto sighed. _I'm going to try to hang out with him a lot this week!  
><em>

As he walked, he caught sight of the redhead, and grinned. Turning to Tsuna and Gokudera, he waved them goodbye and started to run. "Hey, I'm going to walk with Nakamura-kun today!" Tsuna waved goodbye, smiling. "See ya at school then!"

"Yeah, you too!"

Getting close to Arisato, he slung his arm around his shoulder and tackled him. "Morning, Nakamura-kun!" Arisato stumbled, giving him an irritated look. "C'mon Yamamoto, hugs shouldn't be given so early in the morning. Especially to freshmen who only had a few hours of sleep last night!" Yamamoto let go of him, and walked at his pace. "Why were you up so late?

"Well, we_ do _have a test today you know." Arisato commented, elbowing him in the arm with a small smile. "You're such an airhead! You forgot and didn't study, didn't you?"

Yamamoto scratched at his head nervously, and replied, "You got it! I'm really going to fail... Gosh darn it!"

Arisato laughed, making Yamamoto return the smile. He really liked it when he was able to make his friends laugh, it made him feel good. _Especially when Arisato smiles... _He then got an idea, and immediately turned to him, "Hey! Watch me at baseball practice after school today, Nakamura-kun!"

"Huh? Watch you?" Arisato raised an eyebrow curiously, slowing down as they reached the school. "Why?"

"Well, I'm planning to show off the baseball club and everyone in it to you. Plus, I want to walk home with you too." He happily replied, and Arisato blushed. He quickly turned around facing his back towards the baseball idiot, and hurriedly put his shoes into his locker, answering, "I-I'll go watch you... It's not like I really have anything to do after classes anyways."

After he sped off, Yamamoto made a gesture of victory, feeling a surge of glee and excitement. "Yes!"

**ARISATO POV**

As Arisato sped away, he covered his mouth and tried to will the embarrassment away. For a moment, Yamamoto's grin made his heart beat speed up, and he shook his head, his normal color returning. _What was... that I just previously felt? It's such a foreign feeling.  
><em>

When he entered the classroom, he immediately sat in his seat, getting over it. He sighed and sat his head in his hands, looking out the window and into the blue sky._ Ah... who knows. Maybe I'm just getting sick... I'll figure it out later, I guess.  
><em>

**=LATER, AFTER SCHOOL=  
><strong>

"Ah... Nakamura-kun!" Yamamoto ran after Arisato, whom was opening his locker. He took out his shoes and put away his uwabaki, closing his locker and then looking at him again. "What is it, Baseballboy?"

"I was gonna walk you to the baseball field, where we practice. You can sit on the bleachers!" He cheerfully explained, watching as Arisato finished putting on his shoes. He stood up, tapping his feet so they fit snugly, and then stretched. "Ah, lead the way then."

Yamamoto smiled widely, beginning to walk. Arisato strode next to him, looking over his clothes. He had already changed into uniform. "So then... didn't you say that you had a baseball game coming up before?"

"Yeah, but it was yesterday, so we already won it. You didn't come watch?" Yamamoto asked, feeling slightly dejected. Arisato gave him an apologetic look, patting his shoulder. "S-Sorry... I didn't know you wanted me to come watch. I was studying for that test, you know."

Yamamoto nodded, sighing. "Oh well... you're right. There's always the next game. But I'm really glad that you said yes about watching me play. Gokudera and Tsuna are usually busy because Gokudera tutors him after school. So I'm really happy... thanks." He smiled brightly at him, and Arisato jumped. His heart sped up, and his eyes widened. _There it is again... that feeling. What is it?_

"Y-Yeah... whatever... I just happened to be free, y'know..." He replied, turning his head away so he didn't notice his red cheeks. Yamamoto's expression softened, and he didn't say another word. They walked the rest of the way silently until they were out on the field, and Arisato headed towards the bleachers. But, not before some misunderstandings were made.

"Who's that, Takeshi?"

"Is that your _girlfriend_?!"

"No way, it can't be! They're wearing a boys uniform."

"A tomboy perhaps? Because they do have a pretty feminine face and figure."

Yamamoto blushed in embarrassment, waving his arms. "No, no! _He's_ a friend of mine! Arisato Nakamura!" Arisato felt a tick of irritation towards the boys, but said nothing. He instead continued towards the bleachers as they called out hello to him. He sat down and watched as their practice began, but mainly watched Yamamoto.

He was a team player, and looked to really enjoy baseball. As he ran around, batting and catching the ball, throwing with such determination, Arisato felt his chest tighten... but not in a bad way. Yamamoto practically sparkled and oozed a bright aura, making Arisato feel slightly awed. Yamamoto was the perfect athlete. He was strong, fast, and played with the team. _Though sometimes he can get a little annoying... _

About an hour and a half passed by before they were done for the day, and Arisato descended the bleachers. He walked quickly towards Yamamoto with a small smile. "You were..." His smiled faded, and he tried to find the perfect word to finish his comment. "You were... cool, Baseballboy."

Yamamoto grinned, scratching at his head humbly. "Aw, no need to compliment me, Arisato-kun. Wait, is it okay to call you by your first name now?" Arisato nodded. "Go ahead."

"R-Really?! Thanks!"

"I don't think you really needed to thank me for that..."

**=LATER=**

"Dad, I'm home!"

"Welcome home Takeshi!" Said a man from behind the counter. He was cutting up meat and looked around his thirties, and even looked somewhat like Yamamoto. Yamamoto opened the door, letting Arisato in. Looking around the place, he raised an eyebrow. "Your home is Taka-nii's favorite place to get sushi?"

"Taka-nii?"

"My older brother..."

Yamamoto laughed. "My dad owns this business, so we also live here. It's like one of those places that are a store _and _a home." As he walked, he motioned for him to follow. "I brought my friend over too!" The man behind the counter stopped cutting up meat, looking at him. Then, he grinned. "Ah, you must be Takahashi-kun's little brother. You _do _look like him!"

Arisato shrugged, replying, "Many tell me that he looks like me ten years later." The man laughed, nodding. "I can't exactly deny that. I believe your brother said your name was Arisato...?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, have fun you two, whatever you plan to do." He commented, going back to cutting. Yamamoto led him to a pair of stairs, then leading him up to his bedroom. When he opened the door, Arisato peeked inside. It was covered in posters of various baseball players, and... it was... really cluttered. In papers, sports magazines, and just... stuff. Arisato blinked, looking around. "Um... clean much?"

Yamamoto blushed sheepishly, shrugging. "Sorry, sorry... I didn't plan for you to come to my place at first, so I didn't really tidy up." Arisato waved his arms in protest, smiling nervously. "No, it's okay! I don't really imagine you as a "clean" and "organized" guy anyways..." Yamamoto gave him a blank expression, and Arisato freaked. "A-Ah! I didn't mean it in a bad way, sorry! That was really insensitive!"

Yamamoto shook his head. "I wasn't offended at all. Just... a little surprised you knew that about me."

"Well... it's not that hard to guess..." He murmured, and sighed. "Well, who cares. To be honest... this us my first time visiting someones house in a _really _long time."

"You've never visited a friend before?"

"Not really... I've never had a friend before." He spoke, clearing up a spot on the floor next to the table, sitting down. Resting his head on his hands, he looked at Yamamoto, who had a strange expression on his face. Arisato blinked, realizing his choice of words. "Ah, I had friends, just none really close to me at my old middle school... well... they were more like acquaintances, really..."

"Hm?"

Arisato smiled with a small sigh, looking out Yamamoto's bedroom window. "You see... I've never really cared about having friends after I left the only people closest to me. I had met a pretty cool guy around my first year of middle school, and I even joined his gang after he helped me get rid of some bullies."

Yamamoto blinked. "G-Gang...?"

"Yeah... I joined into a pretty vicious gang of "thugs", and they were like a second family. Then my brother and dad found out around my last year in middle school. They talked me into leaving it, but you know... since it was basically a family, my leaving was saw as a betrayal, and I was severely beat up after that." He explained. "After that, like I said, making new friends just seemed too troublesome... I still wanted to be with my 'second family'."

Yamamoto frowned. "That... That's awful! How do you still see them as a 'second family'?!"

Arisato laughed. "I couldn't blame them... I even saw myself as a traitor. It's not like it really bothered me or anything anyways... they dropped me off at the hospital at least."

Yamamoto's frown didn't fade. "... I still can't forgive the fact that they would do that. That's still a really horrible thing to do to a friend... Why didn't that 'cool' guy help you if he were part of that gang?!"

"He was the leader... so he's the one who issued the order anyways." Arisato sighed, remembering that cold, rainy night, and the words that followed it. **_'It's not my concern if you leave... you're just a broken and loosely stringed marionette to me now. You will even come to realize it yourself. Without us... you're a puppet without a purpose.'_**

With a small sigh, Arisato looked at Yamamoto, whom sat down in front of him. He was still frowning, and Arisato laughed. "Get rid of that glare. It doesn't suit you, Baseballboy."

"How are you so unfazed about all this...?" He asked, unable to let it go. Arisato shrugged, tapping his fingers on the wooden table. "I don't really now... Looking back on it... I guess I just didn't care. I don't care anymore... about friends, about school, about life."

Yamamoto's expression softened, and then he looked at Arisato with such determination he backed up a little. "Y-Yamamoto-kun?"

"Arisato! I swear..." He blushed a little, and loudly declared, "I swear that you _WILL _care! I will make you care! And... And you're going to make friends BETTER than them! I swear that I will make sure that happens before your high school years come to an end! Even better, before we even become sophomores!"

Suddenly his bedroom door slammed open, and Yamamoto's dad burst in. "TAKESHI! DON'T YELL, YOU'RE SCARING THE CUSTOMERS!" Yamamoto immediately backed down, meekly replying, "S-Sorry dad.. I won't yell again!"

He left the room and closed the door, leaving the two freshmen to themselves. Yamamoto turned to him, becoming determined again. "I meant everything I said, Arisato-kun. I care about you because you are one of my friends, and I want you to feel the same."

Arisato felt his heart race again, and he couldn't help but grin. "...really now? I can't wait. Let's see just how much you can change about me. But now I want to go home... I need to do some more research for our research project." He got up, yawning and stretching. "All that taking got me tired though..."

Yamamoto sighed, smiling as well. "Let me take you home... as a friend."

_Arisato-kun... you're a really weird guy. And I don't mind that, because deep inside, we're all strange. But... there are some things about you that I haven't known about... that I'm going to change. I **will **make sure of that..._


End file.
